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Gendered Spaces In game environments; the core of most games Player must want to be in those spaces Context can exclude potential players Gamer Chicks: How a Generation of Young Women Inhabit Virtual Worlds Online White paper by Constance Steinkuehler, University of Wisconsin, USA.

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Control & Gendered Play Males and females respond differently One size does not fit all Most gameplay mechanics are male gendered Gender differentiates play

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Risk & Reward The bigger the risk to the player, the bigger the potential reward to that player Most popular game play mechanic ever Females do not like taking risks… …they prefer Action & Reaction To remain in control at all times

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Examples: Risk & reward: Action & Reaction Run through the super-heated mining tunnels, risking character health loss and eventual death, to access the footlocker containing a weapon upgrade. Knights of the Old Republic II Run a paid errand for an NPC, to finance the purchase of a weapon upgrade from a trader. Knights of the Old Republic II

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OPEN QUESTION: Give examples of games with inclusive game play dynamics. i.e… with action & reaction i.e … without punitive systems i.e … with violence as opposed to brutality

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Examples: Ratchet & Clank Lego Star Wars Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Nancy Drew series The Sims series

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Characterisation Player character buy-in is more important to women than it is to men. Men see characters as controllable Women see them as representational

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Lara Croft Why she works for girls: Tough Capable Beautiful Cool Intelligent She can do everything a man can do.

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Lara Croft Why she works for guys: Tough Capable Beautiful Cool Intelligent Boobs She can do everything a man can do. In fact, she might as well be a man in drag. Earnest Adams, Designersnotebook

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Lara Croft She works despite of her appearance, not because of it. Until Lara came along, most female characters in games were: Waiting to be rescued. (Pauline, Donkey Kong) Eye-candy (Princess, Donkey Kong) Statistically inferior (Ling XiaoYu, Tekken) First equal heroine Paved the way for others Nikki (Pandemonium)

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What women want Personality as well as appearance Role models to aspire to Failure to include a viable female character immediately makes the game exclusive. Women demand characters with more depth Equality in terms of stats and abilities

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Communication Older players and female players require more communication than male players do. This is for 2 reasons: Women have a more social approach to gaming and expect more interaction between the NPCs and the player. Casual or novice gamers require more instruction and feedback than hardcore gamers do.

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Creativity Gives the player freedom Creativity spans all demographics A big hit in all kinds of gaming genres UCC in The Sims Halo 2 multiplayer clan badges Tags in Counterstrike Tags in Jet Set Radio Bratz make-up editor and T-shirt/Poster Editors

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Choice is freedom Player freedom is addictive Player choice = player freedom Choice is best achieved through Sandbox play Sandbox isnt always an option if: There is a strong narrative Level progression is set The game is essentially linear

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Alternative input & next gen Alternative input devices can attract new audiences. This is already evident in the industry: Nintendo: Bongos Sony: Eye-Toy Sony: Microphone Multiformat: Fishing rod More of this to come….

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Summary Never take game play mechanics for granted. Context (gendered spaces) Control (gendered play) Characterisation Communication Customisation Creativity Choice Good designers can create for others. Remember the 7 Cs: